Miller Hull

Millions of square feet of warehouse roofs exist in cities, occupied primarily by pigeons and mechanical units. In Seattle, many warehouses are near waterways with beautiful territorial views. This small urban residence exemplifies what is possible when looking at these forgotten landscapes as new opportunities.

Sky Ranch is a small caretaker’s unit—only 20-feet wide x 40-feet long—overlooking an active marina on a working waterfront. Perched on top of a warehouse bigger than a football field, the unit is pushed close to the building’s edge to provide oversight of the marina and waterway below, while taking advantage of sweeping views of the Olympic Mountain range beyond.

This unique space provides an opportunity to re-imagine how people can reconnect to the water in zones where the scale of the ubiquitous industrial structures tends to sever that relationship. With similar industrial warehouses lining many urban waterfronts, there exists a chance  to reconnect people with working waterways even in industrialized settings.